US carries out air strike in Somalia, 1 militant killed

The U.S. military said on Tuesday it had killed one militant in an air strike in southern Somalia over the weekend during a battle pitting U.S. and Somali government troops against al Shabaab Islamist fighters.

The U.S. military’s Africa Command (Africom) said the strike had been carried out on Oct. 6 in the vicinity of Kunyo Barrow, which is north of the town of Kismayo.

“We currently assess no civilians were injured or killed in this air strike,” Africom’s statement read.

An Africom airstrike on Oct. 1, also near Kismayo in southern Somalia, killed nine militants. (Reporting By Maggie Fick Editing by Gareth Jones)